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NZ vs IND 2026: Criticising Gautam Gambhir become everyone's timepass, says Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan has defended head coach Gautam Gambhir following widespread social media backlash regarding India's batting order adjustments during the opening T20I against New Zealand. The criticism stemmed from Tilak Varma batting at number three instead of Ishan Kishan, who was actually dealing with a right adductor strain.

Pathan urged fans to avoid jumping to conclusions for the sake of online engagement before the full context is available. Despite the initial confusion and a brief batting collapse, India successfully completed their highest T20I run chase.

Sanju Samson led the scoring with 67, supported by Shreyas Iyer and Naman Dhir, who secured the win after Mitchell Santner claimed the wicket of Samson. Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the upcoming second match as he continues to recover.

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Irfan Pathan takes aim at Gautam Gambhir’s haters over Ishan Kishan-Tilak Varma controversy